Qoph Resh Shin Tau Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of heaven; They hunted us on the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Yahweh, was taken Of whom we had said: Under his shadow we shall live Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, 1 The cup is passing over also unto you; thou shalt be drunken, The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, He will no longer carry thee away into captivity; He shall uncover thy sins. (Date c. 350 B.C.) V. Aleph Beth Gimel Daleth He Vau (Ch. iii, A. V.) I am the man that hath seen affliction from the rod He hath led me, and caused me to walk in darkness, Surely, against me He turneth His hand My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones. He hath builded against me; He hath compassed me with gall and pain; As they that have been long dead. He hath hedged me about so that I cannot get forth; Yea, when I cry out and call for help, He shutteth out my prayer. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone. He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, He hath blocked up my ways, and pulled me in pieces; He hath made me desolate. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow. He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter my reins. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, My soul was far from peace; I forgot prosperity, And I said: My strength is perished and my hope from Yahweh. Note the same synonym for Edom as is used in the folk-tale (and Prologue) of "Job." Zain Cheth Teth Yodh Caph Lamedh Mem Nun Samech Pe Remember mine afflictions and mine anguish, My soul hath them still in remembrance, This I recall to mind; therefore have I hope. Surely Yahweh's mercies are not consumed, They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness! Good is Yahweh to them that trust in Him, It is good for a man that he quietly wait It is good for a man that he bear the yoke Let him sit alone and keep silence, for it is He Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it so be Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him, For Adonai will not cast him off for ever; Though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion, To crush underfoot all the prisoners of earth; To subvert the cause of a man,— Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, When Adonai commandeth it not? Doth not evil and good proceed out of the mouth Of the Most High? Wherefore then doth a living man complain, or a strong man, Let us search and try our ways, and return unto Yahweh. Thou hast covered us with anger and pursued us; Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, so that a prayer Thou hast made us as offscouring and refuse In the midst of the peoples. All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us; Desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down rivers of water for the breaking up Ain Mine eye poureth out without intermission, and ceaseth not, Tsadhe They have hunted me sore like a bird, they that are Qoph Resh Shin Tau They have cut off my life in the pit, and cast stones upon me; I called upon Thy name, O Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon; Close not Thine ear to my sighing, my cry! O Adonai, Thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my life. O Yahweh, Thou hast seen my wrongs; judge Thou my cause, Against mel Thou hast heard all their taunts, O Yahweh, and all their The lips of those that rose up against me, and their muttering O behold Thou their sitting down and their rising up; I am their song. Thou wilt render them a recompense, O Yahweh, Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, Thy curse upon them! (Date c. 250 B.C.)1 1 The five poems were probably collected c. 200 B.C. (the generally accepted date) because so appropriate to the conditions of the time which occasioned the Revolt of the Maccabees later in the century. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And Yahweh gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasurehouse of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, of the seed of the king and the princes,-children in whom was no blemish, well-favored, skilful in all wisdom and cunning in knowledge and understanding science, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldæans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat and of the wine which he drank; thus nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, children of Judah; unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names; for he gave unto Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-nego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said unto Daniel: I fear my lord the king who hath appointed your meat and drink; for why should he see your faces worse looking than the other children of your sort? then should ye endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to the man whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink; then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat, and, as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children that did eat the portion of the king's meat. So the steward took away their portion of the meat and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in 1 The date given in v. 21 is faulty, as is also that in v. 1. (See note at close of PART I.) Jehoiakim had died before the city surrendered. all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had appointed for them to be brought in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadrezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all were none found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; therefore stood they before the king; and in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in his realm. B. DANIEL INTERPRETS NEBUCHADREZZAR'S DREAM In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuchadrezzar dreamed dreams wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, the sorcerers and the Chaldæans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them: I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldæans to the king in Syriac: 1 O King, live for ever; tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldæans: The thing is gone from me. If ye will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore, now, shew me the dream and the interpretation thereof. They answered again and said: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. The king answered and said: I know of a certainty that ye would gain time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me till the time be changed; therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof. The Chaldæans answered before the king, and said: There is not a man upon earth that can show the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, nor ruler hath asked such things of any magician, astrologer or Chaldæan. And the king requireth a rare thing, and there is none other that can show it the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. For this cause the king was angry and very furious and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel answered with discretion and wisdom Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, when he was going forth to slay the wise men of Babylon,-he answered and said to Arioch, the king's captain: Why is the decree from the king so hasty? Then Arioch made the thing known unto Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. 1 From this point (ch. ii, 4b) the rest of this division (B) to the end of ch. vii is in Aramaic, here called Syriac. A good discussion of the problem it presents is given by S. R. Driver in Introd. to Lit. of O. T. (Syria was the Greek name for Aram.) |